


Stand Tall And Be A Hero

by Zartophski



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Kalos-chihou | Kalos Region (Pokemon), Missing Scene, Plus the rest of their Pokemon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27577478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zartophski/pseuds/Zartophski
Summary: A series of One-Shots dedicated to the XY arc of the Pokémon Anime. Following the show itself, the one-shots will be filling in missing scenes or adding to the characterization/relationships between the characters, including their Pokémon.
Comments: 22
Kudos: 43





	1. Episode One: En Route To Kalos

Ash pressed his face to the window, grinning and bouncing his leg. Pikachu, perched on his opposite leg, matched his grin.

“We only took off an hour ago,” Alexa laughed. “It’s a long flight to Kalos.”

“I know, but I’m just so excited!” Ash said. “Helioptile is such a cool Pokémon, and I want to meet all the Pokémon from Kalos.”

Helioptile, who was laying on Alexa’s lap with the intention to nap, purred from the compliment. Alexa rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “You’ll have plenty of time to meet Pokémon when we get there. It’s not like we can make the plane go any faster.”

“I know, I know,” Ash grinned. “I just love travelling and going to new regions.”

“Well, I never would have guessed,” Alexa teased, to which Ash laughed. “Which Pokémon did you bring with you? You had quite a few back at Professor Oak’s ranch.”

“Just Pikachu.”

“Just Pikachu?”

“Yep!” Ash placed his hand on top of Pikachu’s head, ruffling his fur slightly. “Pikachu and I always start out alone, and by the time we finish the league, we’ve made a bunch of new friends!”

Alexa frowned. “But, you’re coming to challenge the league, right?”

“Of course!”

“So why didn’t you bring any other Pokémon who have already battled in Gyms? Seems like it’d be more difficult for you to start from scratch like that.”

Ash shrugged, smile slipping to a frown as he thought, but didn’t respond. After a moment, he said, “Well, it just doesn’t feel right to bring them.”

Alexa blinked, not expecting that answer. “Doesn’t feel right?”

“Like,” Ash waved his hands around for a moment, frowning as he tried to find the right words. “Like with Oshawott and Pignite and everyone else. We all worked together to travel through Unova and make it to the Unova League. That was our goal and we did it. Unova’s done.” Ash frowned at that last bit, as if it didn’t feel right to say.

“So your Unova team’s done?” Alexa asked slowly. She hadn’t thought Ash of all people would be the type of person to cast aside their Pokémon. She winced at the thought, but luckily, Ash distracted her from it.

“No no no no,” he waved his hands frantically. “They’re not done. They’re just…” He paused for a moment, then sighed. “They all learned so much. They’re so much stronger, and I’m proud of how much they grew. But I can only help them so much, you know?” 

Alexa blinked. “I… don’t think I follow.”

“It’s like… they already battled at Gyms. They worked hard and we beat the Gyms in Unova and we fought in the league,” Ash explained. “I don’t think they’d learn anything new from doing it all again.” Alexa blinked, nodding as she followed Ash’s train of thought. “Like, they’ve learned enough from me and from us training and travelling together. But I have so many Pokémon with Professor Oak that also travelled with me and battled the Gyms and leagues.”

“So you think your team can learn more from them than from you?” Alexa finished.

Ash nodded. “Yeah.” Alexa noted the tiniest bit of sadness in his tone.

“I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit,” she said. “Your Pokémon adore you, and you’re a good trainer.”

“I just don’t want to hold them back,” Ash said quietly. “My Charizard, he grew a lot when he travelled with me. I took him with me through Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto. But in Johto we ended up at the Charicific Valley.” His frown deepened. “I knew he wanted to be stronger. And I don’t think I could have taught him anything more to help, you know? I’m not a Fire Type Pokémon.”

“So you let him train there?”

Ash nodded. “The Charizard there are really strong. They taught him a lot of things I never could have. And I just think… I can help my Pokémon learn how to battle, and how to think of strategies and how to overcome challenges. But I can’t teach them everything. And I don’t want to hold them back from learning the other stuff because I still want them to travel with me.”

“I don’t think they’d mind,” Alexa said softly. “Really, your Pokémon love you. I don’t think you let down Charizard one bit, and I don’t think you’d let down any of the others.” 

Pikachu was quick to voice his agreement. Ash blinked, as if he’d never considered the notion. His face morphed into a soft smile, and he scratched Pikachu’s head. “Thanks, buddy.” He turned to look back at Alexa. “I do want to travel with all my Pokémon all the time. That’d be amazing! But I know I can’t do that. And I don’t think I could choose which Pokémon to bring with me every time I go somewhere new. So I guess it’s just better for us to start fresh.”

Alexa nodded. “I guess that’s one of the harder parts of having so many Pokémon.”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “But it’s okay. I made sure to introduce them to everyone else, and I’m sure they’ll get along just fine. I know Unfezant already got the tour around from my other flying types, and Charizard’s sticking around long enough for Pignite to get to know him and Infernape better. And I bet Oshawott and Totodile will get along great!” Grin back in place, he looked back to Alexa. “Professor Oak and Tracey keep an eye on them for me. If something’s wrong, they’ll let me know.”

“You really thought this through, huh?”

“Of course! They’re my family,” Ash said. “I want them to be happy. And if I can’t be with them all the time, then I want to do what I can to make sure they won’t be lonely while I’m away.” He laughed. “Guess that’s the better part about having a lot of Pokémon. You’re sure to find a friend for everyone.”

Alexa smiled. “I suppose so.”

“And I’ll get to make even more friends once we get to Kalos!” he cheered, Pikachu matching his excitement. “I can’t wait!” He turned to Alexa. “Can you tell me more about Helioptile and your other Pokémon? I want to know everything about Kalosian Pokémon!”

Alexa laughed. “Sure, sure,” she waved her hand. “Now, you know Helioptile’s an Electric and Normal Type, but did I tell you about…”


	2. Episode Two: Froakie's Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Froakie knows something's different about Ash, but is it really worth the possibility of being let down again?

Froakie stared up at the night sky. When he left his old trainer that morning, he never could have guessed just what would happen. It’s not like anything this exciting and dangerous and terrifying and exhilarating had happened before.

He had planned to go back to Professor Sycamore’s lab, but en route, he felt a pull. It was like part of his heartbeat was pulsing ever so slightly on the other side of the city. And when he found the source, he hadn’t been all that impressed with the trainer. He seemed like any other excited kid starting his journey. And yet that heartbeat, that pulse, that something, told him to stay, to give the boy a chance.

And he didn’t regret it. That Pikachu was stronger than Froakie had initially thought. The boy was definitely not a new trainer, not with the strategy and synchronicity he and Pikachu shared. It pained Froakie, in more ways than one, at how quickly he fell in that battle against those horrible people. There were just some things Pokémon could only learn when they worked with humans.

Froakie frowned, remembering those people he fought. Team Rocket, they called themselves. Awful. Disgusting. Garchomp is the kindest soul Froakie has ever known. He was the only one who was there for him when he inevitably came back. He didn’t judge Froakie for leaving his so-called trainers. And to see him in so much pain…

But Ash helped Garchomp. Ash ran straight towards him, despite the Hyper Beams, despite the danger. During all of that, Froakie felt that pull again. Somehow, working with Ash felt right. There was no doubt about it, Ash was important. 

And then Pikachu fell.

And then Ash jumped.

And that moment was, ironically, when Froakie knew he’d chosen Ash. 

Froakie turned his gaze away from the stars towards the lab building. Ash would be leaving first thing tomorrow, and he was determined to leave with him. 

_“I didn’t expect to see you out here.”_ Froakie turned to see Garchomp slowly making his way over to where he lay.

_“You should be resting,”_ Froakie said. He looked over the other Pokémon as he settled down next to him. _“How are you feeling?”_

_“I’m fine, I’m fine. Thank Arceus for whatever human invented Max Potions,”_ he joked. _“How about you? You seem different.”_

Froakie frowned for a moment, resisting the urge to glance back towards the lab. He still didn’t quite know what that pulse was, but it was still there. It was softer now, barely felt, but he knew it was still there. He didn’t know what to make of it. It was strange and impossible to explain. There was no logic to it, and yet, deep in his soul, it felt right.

_“Ash is his name, right?”_ Garchomp interrupted his thoughts. Froakie glanced up at him, nodding. _“He seems like a good trainer, if his relationship with Pikachu is anything to go by.”_

_“He seems like a reckless trainer,”_ Froakie retorted.

_“Hmm. Reminds me of a certain Pokémon I know.”_ Garchomp smiled easily. _“I saw the way you looked at him.”_

_“Looked at him?”_

_“Of course,”_ Garchomp waved a claw, wincing lightly at the movement. _“I’m glad you found a human you can trust.”_

_“I…”_ Froakie wanted to snip back a denial, but he really couldn’t. Because he had trusted Ash. Trusted him to get him back to Professor Sycamore, trusted him to save Garchomp. 

But trust had never been Froakie’s style. Not since he was a hatchling, and certainly not when it came to potential trainers. And yet, Ash had been the exception. The crazy, reckless exception.

_“I don’t know what to make of him,”_ Froakie finally admitted.

_“But you’re willing to give him a chance. That’s more than you could say for all the other trainers you tried to work with.”_

_“I suppose.”_

It wasn’t that Froakie didn’t want to trust Ash. The trainer had been nothing but kind, and certainly hadn’t looked down on Froakie or his ability to fight or help. He just didn’t want to get his hopes up. He’d been through that let down enough times already.

And yet he was promising. His Pikachu was strong, and he himself seemed capable enough on his own. He definitely had the qualities Froakie had been looking for when he decided he needed a human trainer to get stronger. That headstrong will, ready to tackle any problem that arose with no hesitation. Ash and Pikachu were strong and worked together so perfectly, it was as if they were one in the same. 

Like a shared mind.

Like a shared heartbeat.

This time he couldn’t stop himself from glancing back to the lab. Back to the faint pulse that he knew was coming from Ash. Was this what Pikachu felt? What made him so strong? What made him and Ash work together so well? Froakie had never felt a connection like this with a human before. He’d never felt any connection like this before. Was this what the other “Starter” Pokémon called finding their path, their human?

He looked back over to Garchomp, who was giving him a soft smile. _“Do you know where I can find a spare Pokéball?”_ Froakie asked. There was only one way to find out for sure, he supposed. If Ash wasn’t the one, he could always leave. But if he was…

_“Of course,”_ Garchomp nodded. _“I’ll show you where they are.”_ He stood slowly, wincing slightly, and Froakie followed the larger Pokémon back into the lab. The lab itself was an absolute mess, the broken glass and torn walls from Garchomp’s rampage earlier. Froakie glared at the wreckage, anger at Team Rocket building once again. 

_“The Pokéballs are back this way,”_ Garchomp said, leading Froakie past the mess and towards an almost untouched side of the building. The duo found the Pokéballs in a storage closet near Professor Sycamore’s personal office along with new Pokédexes. Froakie hopped onto Garchomp’s shoulder and grabbed a plain Pokéball from the box. No need to get fancy, especially if there was a chance Ash wasn’t going to cut it.

As the pair headed back out, Garchomp turned to Froakie. _“I’m proud of you,”_ he said. Froakie looked up at him in confusion. Garchomp tapped the top of the Pokéball Froakie was carrying, both Pokémon careful not to touch the button. _“I’m proud of you for taking the initiative,”_ Garchomp explained. _“You’re a good Pokémon, and you deserve to have a good trainer. I’m glad you’ve found a good one.”_

_“We don’t know if he’s good yet,”_ Froakie commented. Garchomp just smiled to himself, choosing not to note the lack of conviction in Froakie’s tone. 

_“Either way, I’m proud of you. And good luck,”_ he added. _“I’m looking forward to seeing you get out there and grow with a proper trainer.”_

_“Thank you,”_ Froakie said quietly. 

Garchomp nudged his shoulder slightly. _“I should be thanking you,”_ he said. _“You’ll be great. I know it.”_

Froakie smiled slightly at the comment. Garchomp believed in him. It wasn’t the first time he’d said that to Froakie, but for some reason, it felt more real. It felt attainable. And somehow, despite his doubts, Froakie knew Ash would be different. And a part of him believed Garchomp. He would be great. 

Froakie looked down at the Pokéball in his hands. He had a trainer to choose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clearly, we know what happens to Ash and Froakie's relationship later on in the series, but how early on did they notice something was different? Ash probably didn't realize until it hit him in the face (partially literally), but what about Froakie? He seemed to think something was up with Ash, considering how he followed him around all day and trusted him to save his only friend's life. Seems like a pretty short time to warm up to him considering his past.


	3. Episode Three: Sibling Quarrels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clemont wants to travel with Ash, but he's really not thrilled with the idea of his little sister travelling, too.

“So where were you going to go, since the Lumiose Gym isn’t letting you battle there?” Clemont asked. They had moved over to one of the sitting areas of the Pokémon Center after getting Ash officially registered for the Kalos League.

Ash frowned in thought as he slid his new badge case into this backpack. “Well, probably the Santalune Gym.” He glanced towards Pikachu. “Did I say that right? That is where Alexa said her sister’s gym is.” Pikachu nodded in confirmation.

“The Santalune Gym? You know the Gym Leader there?”

“Nah,” Ash waved his hand. “I just know their sister. I met Alexa in the Decalore Islands on my way back to Kanto from Unova.”

“You’ve been to Unova?” Clemont asked. “That’s pretty far away, from both Kalos and Kanto.”

Ash shrugged. “Yeah, it was pretty far, but it was so fun! We met so many Pokémon and had some great battles! Right buddy?”

“Pi, pika!”

Bonnie giggled at Pikachu’s dramatic declaration, picking him up for a spinning hug. Clemont cringed slightly, but relaxed once she put him down without getting electrocuted.

“Okay,” Ash started, standing up. “I have another call to make before I head out.”

“Alright,” Clemont nodded. “Bonnie and I will meet you outside. By the fountain by the doors?”

“Right!” Ash gave him a thumbs up. “Catch you guys in a few.” Pikachu leapt up his arm and onto his shoulder, and the pair ran off towards the phones.

Bonnie pouted slightly as she watched the pair race off to the phones. “Aw, I wanted to play with Pikachu more,” she grumbled.

Clemont smiled. “I’m sure you can play with him later, but we shouldn’t bother them while they’re on their call.” He grabbed her hand lightly, leading her outside. “Let’s go wait for them by the fountain. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of interesting Pokémon to look at while we wait.”

Bonnie grumbled for a minute as the pair made their way outside, but gave in as soon as they stopped by the fountain. A Fletchling that had been perched on the side flitted further away as they approached, and Bonnie giggled as the Flying Type watched them cautiously.

“Oh, you’re so cute!” she said, laughing as the Pokémon tilted its head at her remark. Clemont smiled, keeping one eye on Bonnie as he sat down to think.

And there was… a lot to think about.

Ash fell from a ridiculously high height from his Gym not once, but twice. Ash did something reckless to save a Pokémon not once, but three times. Ash had already travelled through an entire region, though Clemont had the feeling it was more considering he had to have challenged Kanto at some point, and who knows if he’d done more. Ash was also apparently being followed by Pokémon thieves? He seemed to have had run-ins with them in the past, from what Clemont gathered. 

All in all, Ash was insane. Absolutely crazy. Clemont could barely handle this, and he was a spectator for the majority of the past day.

Oh Arceus, it’s only been a day since he met Ash.

He glanced over to Bonnie, who had gotten bored with watching the Fletchling. Instead, she had climbed up onto the edge of the fountain and was walking the perimeter, keeping her eyes out for any interesting Pokémon. “Bonnie, please get down from there,” Clemont said. “I don’t want you falling into the water.”

“I won’t fall,” Bonnie announced, bouncing onto her tip-toes to prove it.

“I know, but I’d really feel better if you got down.”

Bonnie frowned and spun to face him. “You worry too much.” She pointed at him. “See, you’re making that worried face! You only look like that when you know your invention’s gonna explode.”

“Or when you’re going to get hurt doing something I told you not to,” Clemont grumbled.

“Or when you’re thinking too much,” Bonnie said. “What’re you thinking about?”

“It’s nothing,” Clemont said. 

“No it’s not,” she huffed, crossing her arms. “I’m not a baby. You always think I’m too little to understand things but I’m not.” She glared at him, but when he didn’t say anything, she stomped over and started kicking his shoulder. “Tell me!”

“Bonnie stop.”

“Not until you tell me!”

Clemont tried to grab her, but she ducked out of his grasp and instead threw herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a not-really chokehold. “Tell me why you’re so grumpy!”

“I’m not grumpy!” Clemont retorted. “You’re the one attacking me!”

“Cuz you’re not telling me what’s wrong!”

“Nothing’s wrong!”

“You’re lying!”

“Will you please stop!?”

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong!”

Clemont grimaced and pushed himself up so he was standing. Bonnie still had her arms locked around his neck, and she dangled awkwardly as she was dragged off her feet. “Let go of me and I’ll tell you,” he sighed.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

She immediately let go, and Clemont stumbled a bit as he regained his balance. Bonnie stood on her tip-toes in front of him, hands on her hips as she leveled her best business glare at him.

Clemont looked at her for a moment, trying to decide what to say. “What do you think of Ash?” he asked.

Bonnie glared at him. “Hey! You were going to tell me what you were thinking about!”

“I am!” Clemont paused and sighed. “I was thinking about Ash,” he admitted after a moment. “And before I start telling you what I was thinking about, I want to know what you think of him.”

“I think he’s so cool!” she responded immediately. “Pikachu and Froakie are really cool, too! And he’s so brave when he’s helping Pokémon.”

Clemont nodded slowly. “Okay. And how do you feel about yesterday?” 

Bonnie blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I…” Clemont sighed. “Okay. I think Ash is a good person. I think he’s really brave and I… well, I want to travel with him.”

Bonnie gasped in excitement. “Really!?”

“Wait wait wait, I’m not finished,” Clemont cut her off. “I want to go with him, but I need you to understand a few things. And I want you to tell me honestly how you felt about yesterday.”

Bonnie frowned, staring at him for a moment, before deciding to actually think about his question. “Well, I was scared for Garchomp. And… I was scared for Ash when he fell. But, I guess I was more mad at Team Rocket.”

Clemont nodded, thinking about her response. “Okay. I want you to listen to everything I say, alright?” At her nod, he took a deep breath. “I want to travel with Ash, at least for a little bit. I’m not being a very good Gym Leader right now, and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to learn how to be braver and a better trainer for my Pokémon from him. But,” he cut off Bonnie before she could say anything, “I get the feeling that everything that happened yesterday isn’t that unusual for him. He seemed to recognize Team Rocket, who in turn seemed to be after his Pikachu specifically. That would mean that the… chaos, I guess, that happened yesterday would possibly continue. And I don’t want to put you in danger or in any situation where you wouldn’t be safe.”

“Clemont, I’m not a little kid!” Bonnie said. “And you need to stop being so down on yourself.”

“Bonnie, please,” Clemont sighed. “Look, you can go stay with dad while I travel with Ash.”

“No way! That’s no fair!”

“Bonnie, you’re seven–”

“Almost eight!” She crossed her arms, huffing in annoyance. “I’m not a baby! I don’t need to stay behind while you get to go do cool travelling stuff with Ash and Pikachu and Froakie. I’m going with you.”

“I haven’t even asked him yet,” Clemont threw up his hands in exasperation. “I don’t even know if he wants me to come with him, let alone if it’s safe for you to go too.”

“Of course he’ll let us! We’re all really good friends.”

“I don’t think we count as really good friends yet.”

“Well you wouldn’t know what that means. You’re always too busy with your inventions for friends.”

“Hey!”

“Of course we’re friends! He said so himself, he wanted you to be the first person he battled in Kalos. And he liked your Aipom Arm invention!”

“That…” Clemont trailed off, the argument dying on his lips. Sure, Ash hadn’t outright said he was their friend, but he had stuck with them longer than he really needed to. Granted, they had been sticking with him. Still, he didn’t make any move to part ways with them that morning when he announced he was heading to the Pokémon Center. 

“Okay,” he conceded. “Let’s say he’s fine with us going with him. The point still stands. Travelling is dangerous. And there’s a reason you have to be ten to become an official trainer.”

“You’re making it sound like I’ll be by myself,” Bonnie muttered, crossing her arms. “You’re not gonna let me out of your sight anyway, so I don’t see what’s the big deal. And what am I going to do at home? Dad’s always busy doing jobs, and you won’t let me walk to my friends’ houses by myself!”

“Because you could get lost or hurt!”

“Well if you’re so worried about me, then let me come with you,” she demanded. “I want to travel with Ash and see his Gym battles and play with Pikachu.”

Clemont frowned, realizing he was getting nowhere. He forgot how stubborn Bonnie was, at least until it was thrown into his face again. He sighed and pulled out his PokéNav. “He said he was going to Santalune City, right?” he mumbled to himself, pulling up a map of Kalos. “Let’s see. It looks like it’s a straight shot to Santalune if we take this route…”

“I can’t see!” Bonnie pouted. 

“I’m looking at the path we’d take to get to Santalune City,” Clemont explained, lowering the screen so Bonnie could see. “We’d take Route 4, which is a main pathway. We’d probably run into a few people as we went, and if we time it right, we should be able to stay in a Pokémon Center every night.” He frowned, thinking.

Bonnie’s eyes flicked between the map and her brother’s face. “So?” she asked, hopeful.

“So,” Clemont said, mentally sighing in defeat. “I guess it’d be okay for you to come along.”

“Yes!” Bonnie cheered, jumping in excitement. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

“But,” Clemont added, “you have to promise to stay close to us while we travel and not wander off the path.”

“Okay okay okay!” she agreed immediately. “Yay! I can go! Wait!” she gasped suddenly. “What kind of Pokémon are on Route 4?” She grabbed his arm, trying to lower the screen so she could look at it again. 

“Wait, hang on,” Clemont said. “Give me a second.” He pressed a couple buttons, and the screen changed to show a list of Pokémon. “Here, it looks like there’s–”

“Hey!”

The siblings looked up to see Ash running out of the Pokémon Center, waving at the pair with a grin. Clemont shifted, subconsciously trying to stand up straighter. Now, how was he going to tell Ash he’d be having some travelling companions?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course Clemont would have a minor panic when Bonnie wants to tag along. And of course Bonnie's way too stubborn to accept being left at home.
> 
> Sorry if this chapter was a little choppy. I rewrote bits and pieces throughout the week, so it may not be as coherent as the others. If you couldn't tell yet, the update plan for this fic is a chapter a week, posting sometime on the weekends. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, the age-old question: why does Ash never bring any of his old Pokémon? Especially when he has experienced Pokémon abandonment all too often. Ash's half-rambling answer works well enough.


End file.
